quick lesson on Freeview/digital tv, please.

atro1

Daughter needs digital tv. Wants a Freeview recorder set top box. She has a 7 year old Sony but it does take scart leads.
Is it just a matter of plugging a scart lead in and then tuning the box in? Our TVs all have Freeview built in so I have never come across this problem before. And then of course I will be paying for the set top recommendations for a cheapish one.

zartub

tesco`s do quite cheap ones now but then so does nearly anywhere,

should be good to go with that tv but may need a better aerial.

wilkinsons do a signal checker, you just plug your aerial in and it tests

the signal of your aerial.

googler

If you connect them with SCART, you don't 'tune the TV in', you select the AV input corresponding to the SCART (AV1, AV2, A1, A2, etc)

Sometimes the TV selects the SCART input itself, but that varies from TV to TV.

kwikbreaks

You said "Freeview recorder set top box". Does she actually need to be able to record - it increases the price enormously. Cheapest set top box will see change from £20 but you'll need to pay at least £50 for a refurb box which can record (PVR).

As mentioned you tune the Freeview box not the TV which is just connected and set to show the appropriate Scart signal.

macman

Is there a rooftop aerial already installed? You might get away with a set-top aerial but unlikely.

atro1

She is in jersey and has a pretty good picture. She has left it until now hoping the TV would do it all by its self going from analogue to digital.. Yes she does want it to record.
Seen this on Amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Top-Up-TV-TUTV2500-Freeview/dp/B001L1R99M/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1289311674&sr=8-11 any thoughts please.

macman

The fact that she's got a good picture on analogue does not necessarily mean she'll get a good picture on digital. So, once again-has she got a rooftop aerial?
Jersey switchover date is 17/11.

atro1

sadly I do not know. I will ask when iI ring her tonight.

kwikbreaks

atro1 wrote: »

She is in jersey and has a pretty good picture. She has left it until now hoping the TV would do it all by its self going from analogue to digital..

I don't think she's quite got the hang of what the switchover date is. It should probably be called the switch off date because that is when the analogue signal is turned off. If you only have an analogue TV all you'll see is interference. The plus side is that the digital signal strength will be increased so if she has a good analogue picture now there is every chance that the digital will be OK then but there is certainly no guarantee what it will be like now (or even post switchover come to that).

atro1 wrote: »

Yes she does want it to record.
Seen this on Amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Top-Up-TV-TUTV2500-Freeview/dp/B001L1R99M/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1289311674&sr=8-11 any thoughts please.

That will do what you asked for. Whether it is best/cheapest/etc. I can't say offhand.

atro1

Well the recorder on Amazon want £17 p&p. So any thoughts on this one from Play.com.

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/14355961/250GB-HDD-Recorder-Freeview-With-Twin-Tuner/Product.html?ptsl=1&ob=Price&fb=0

atro1

right discovered she has an outside Aerie, scart sockets on the TV and an AV button on the remote. So I will go ahead with this one in the morning unless of course someone knows better. I am totally ignorant on these things so any suggestions gratefully received. many thanks.
http://www.play.com/Electronics/Elec...&ob=Price&fb=0l